Valve assembly



NOV. 22, p cK VALVE ASSEMBLY Filed Jan. 10, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet l Nov.22, 1949 A. J. PENICK 2,488,932

I VALVE ASSEMBLY Filed Jan. 10, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 22,1949 VALVE ASSEMBLY Arthur J. Penick, Houston, Tex., assignor to OilCenter Tool Company, Houston, Tex a corporation of Texas.

Application January 10, 1946, Serial No. 640,236

6 Claims. (Cl. 251-93) This invention relates to a valve assembly andhas particular relation to an assembly of the character describedincluding a plug valve.

An object of the invention is to provide a valve assembly embodying acasing having a flowway therethrough with an expander mounted in thecasing and having a passageway therethrough:

aligned with said flowway with an expansible plug valve in the casingaround the expander and having oppositely disposed openings and turnableto align the openings with said flowway and passageway to open the valveand out of such alignment to close'the valve.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in a valve assembly ofthe character described, an expander movable to one position to expandthe valve to prevent leakage about the valve either when in open orclosed position and movable to another position to permit the easyturning of the valve to either of said positions.

Another object of the invention is to provide novel means for lockingthe expander in valve expanding position.

The invention also includes novel means for lubricating the valve andvalve expander.

With the above and other objects in view the invention has particularrelation to certain novel features of construction, arrangement of partsand use, an example of which is given in this specification andillustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is alongitudinal sectional view of the assembly.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a side view of the valve.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1; and

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings wherein like numerals ofreference designate the same parts in each of the figures, the numeral Idesignates the valve casing having the external end flanges 2, 2 whichform one means for connecting the easing into a flow line. The valvecasing also has a flowway 3 therethrough and has a counterbore 4 atapproximately right angles to the flowway one end of which is reducedforming an internal annular shoulder 5.

Bolted, or otherwise secured, to the casing, and closing the respectiveends of the bore are the caps 6 and I. countersunk into the valve casing2 and surrounding the flowway 3 and whose inner faces are flush with thewall of the bore 6 are the annular valve seats 8, 8. These seats aredesirable although they are not indispensable.

Fitted within the bore 4, with its inner end abutting the shoulder 5there is a valve 9 which is of a substantially cylindrical contour.

The end of this valve adjacent the cap 6 is formed with a polygonalrecess I0 and a valve stem II is provided whose inner end is providedwith a head l2 which fits into said recess whereby the valve may beturned.

As illustrated there is a handle l3 on the outer end of the stem whichprovides convenient means for turning the valve.

The end of the valve adjacent the cap 6 has the studs l4, l4 insettherein and which project into arcuate grooves l5, [5 in the cap. Thesegrooves are of a length to limit the turning movement of the valve t0.aquarter turn. The cap 6 and the adjacent end of the valve casing alsohave the studs 16, I6 whose ends extend into bores in the capand casing,as shown in Figure 1, so as to properly position the cap relative to thevalve. The valve has the side openings I1, I! therethrough and thegrooves I5 of the cap are thus positioned so that the openings ll willalign with the flowway when the valve is turned to open position andwill be out of alignment with said flowway when the valve is closed. Thevalve is shown in closed position in Figuresland 5.

Surrounding the stem II and mounted in the cap 6 there is suitablesealing means to seal around the stem to prevent leakage. In the presentillustration the sealing means is shown as a conventional stufling box18.

The end of the valve opposite the recess I0 is counterbored forming anexpander seat l9 which flares from its irmer end to the outer end of thevalve and from the inner end of the seat Hi to the outer end of thevalve, the valve has the oppositely disposed longitudinal slits 20, 20which are on the same sides of the valve as the openings ll, as shown inFigures 4 and 5.

Within the valve there is an expander 2| which has a passageway 22extending transversely therethrough which is aligned with, and is ofslightly greater diameter than, the flowway 3. This expander isexternally tapered to conform to the taper of the expander seat l9. Oneend of the expander is reduced in diameter and the reduced endisprovided with longitudinal splines 23 which fit between similar splines24 in the inner wall of the valve casing, as shown in Figures 1 and 6,whereby the expander is held against turning, but has a longitudinalmovement relative to the valve.

There is an expander stem 23 whose inner end has a swiveliing connectionwith the expander. This stem extends out axially through the cap 'I andhas a threaded connection therewith and there is a seal in the cap 1around the outer end or said stem. In the present illustration this sealis shown as a conventional stuillng box 26. The outer end oi the stem 23is formed polygonal to receive a wrench by means of which it may beturned. The stufllng box is formed oi packing seated in the cap 1 aroundthe stem and a gland 21 which surrounds the stem 25 and is screwed intothe cap I and whose inner end abuts said packing. When the gland 21 isscrewed against the packing it will compress the packing and cause it toirictionally hold the stem 25 against turning as well as prevent leakagepast said stem 23. Upon release of the gland 21 from the packing thestem 25 may be turned and being threaded with the cap 1 upon turning thestem 25 in one direction the expander will be caused to wedge tightly inthe valve and expand it and when turned in the other direction willrelease the expander from the valve permitting the valve to contract.

When the valve is contracted it may be readily turned by the handle 13to align the openings l! with the fiowway, thus opening the valve; or itmay be turned to another position to carry the openings l'l out ofalignment with the flowway to close the valve. 7

When the valve is in either open or closed position the stem 25 may thenbe turned to force the expander inwardly with relation to the expanderseat I 9 so as to expand the valve to prevent leakage about it. When thevalve is moved to either oi said positions it will be stopped by thestuds ll reaching the corresponding ends of the grooves ll so as toinsure the stoppage oi the valve in fully opened or in completely closedposition.

It will be noted from an inspection of Figure 4 that the valve has theexternal lubricating grooves 23, 29 and 39 therearound and has thelongitudinal side grooves 3|, 3i leading from the groove 29 past thegroove 28 and on to the corresponding end of the valve and leadinginwardly from the groove 29 through the wall of the valve are thechannels 32, 32 and the corresponding end of the expander has a groove33 therearound aligned with the channels 32. A lubricant may beintroduced into the groove 23 through an inlet channel 34 through thewall 01' the casing and whose outer end is provided with a fitting 35for connection of a grease gun thereto. The lubricant will pass throughthe grooves 23 and 3! and the channels 32 to the groove 33 to lubricatethe corresponding end of the valve and expander.

The opposite end or the expander has an external annular groove 36therearound and a channel 31 therethrough whose ends are connected withthe groove 36 and the corresponding end oi the valve has the externalannular groove 39 therearound with passageways 39 leading therefromthrough the wall of the valve and registering with the groove 36.

The inner end of the stem 25 has an axial channel 40 whose inner endenters the channel 31 and the channel 49 has the lateral ports II and 42through which a lubricant may pass-to lubricate the stem 25. The channel49 also has an inlet port 43.

A lubricant may be introduced through the inlet channel 44 through afitting 45 in the outer end thereof and this lubricant will reach thesplines 23, 24 and the corresponding end of the valve and expander andwill also pass through the port 43 and through the channel 49 and theports 4| and 42 and also through the channel 31 and the passageways 39and groove 39 so as to thoroughly lubricate said movable parts.

The drawings and description are illustrative merely while the broadprinciple of the invention will be defined by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A valve assembly comprising, a tubular valve casing, means on thecasing for connecting the casing into a fiow line, said casing having afiowway therethrough aligned with said connect- .ing means and alsohaving a bore at approxi- 'ing means to turn the valve when the stem isturned, means carried by the stem and the corresponding cap for limitingthe range of turning movement of the valve, said valve having sideopenings movable into and out of registration with said flowway,theendof the valve opposite said recess being formed with a deepinwardly tapering counterbore forming an expander seat and beinglongitudinal slitted to render the valve expansible, an expander havinga. passageway therethrough which is aligned with the fiowway and is ofslightly larger diameter than the nowway, said expander being externallytapered to conform to the taper of the expander seat, means formaintaining the expander against turning and means for moving theexpander longitudinally relative to the valve to expand the valve whenmoved in one direction and to allow the valve to contract when moved inthe other direction.

2. A valve assembly comprising, a valve casing having a fiowwaytherethrough, an expansible valve extending transversely across thefiowway and rotatably mounted in the casing, said valve having an axialtapered bore extending throughout its major portion and also having sideopenings which are movable into and out of registration with the flowwayas said valve is rotated, a one-piece expander having the major portionthereof disposed within the bore of the valve and having its outersurface tapered to co-act with the tapered wall of said bore, saidexpander having side openings aligned with the fiowway of the valvecasing, and means accessible to an operator exteriorly of the valvecasing for moving the expander longitudinally with respect to the valveto expand and permit contraction oi said valve.

3. A valve assembly comprising, a valve casing having a fiowwaytherethrough, an expansible valve extending transversely across thefiowway and rotatably mounted in the casing, said valve having an axialtapered bore extending throughout its major portion and also having sideopenings which are movable into and out of registration with the fiowwayas said valve is rotated, a one-piece expander having the major portionthereof disposed within the bore of the valve and having its outersurface tapered to coact with the tapered wall of said bore, saidexpander having side openings aligned with the flowway of the valvecasing, co-acting means on the expander and on the valve casing forpreventing rotation of the expander while permitting longitudinalmovement thereof with respect to the casing and the valve within saidcasing, and means accessible to an operator exteriorly of the valvecasing for moving the expander longitudinally with respect to the valveto expand and permit contraction of said valve.

4. A valve assembly as set forth in claim 2, wherein the meansaccessible to an operator for moving the expander is an operating stemattached by a swivel connection to the lower end of the expander andextending outwardly through the valve casing am. also wherein theoperating stem is threaded within the casing whereby rotation of thestem imparts rotation thereto and to the expander to which it isconnected.

5. A valve assembly as set forth in claim 2, wherein the meansaccessible to an operator for moving the expander is an operating stemattached by a swivel w nneetion to the lower end of the expander andfending outwardly through the valve casing and a'. o wherein theoperating stem is threaded within the casin whereby rotation of the stemimparts rotation thereto and to the expander to which it is connected,an operating member connected with the valve and also accessible fromthe exterior for rotating the .valve, and means for introducinglubricant the end of the valve and expander to lubricate the adjacentfaces of the movable parts.

6. A valve assembly as set forth in claim 2, wherein the meansaccessible to an operator for moving the expander is an operating stemattached by a swivel connection to the lower end of the expander andextending outwardly through the valve casing and also wherein theoperating stem is threaded within the casing whereby rotation of thestem imparts rotation thereto and to the expander to which it isconnected, and a packing gland mounted in the casing and surrounding theoperating stem for packing ofi therearound, tightening of said glandfunctioning to lock the stem against rotation'with respect to thecasing.

ARTHUR J. PENICK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS France Mar. 6, 1920

